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Syndication

Archive for June, 2009

We had a fantastic lineup at Laity Lodge last week. Our musicians were Ashley Cleveland and Kenny Greenberg (for the second retreat in a row). Our speakers were Dr. J.I. Packer and Andy Crouch.
I expect most of you have heard of J.I. Packer. His book, Knowing God, is one of the most respected Christian books […]

The Inevitability of Death
READ Psalm 49:1-20
Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
Psalm 49:10
Psalm 49 isn’t exactly what you’d call cheery. Its main point is that the rich will die just like everybody else. The psalm ends on this note: “People who boast of their wealth […]

Part 4 of series: Missional and Formational?
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In my last post I mentioned that Jesus, as a carpenter, would have had to operate his business with integrity if he were to succeed in a small village such as Nazareth.
Speaking of Nazareth, Jesus spent most of his early life […]

Part 3 of series: Missional and Formational?
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It’s always risky to try and speak of the forces that formed Jesus and his ministry. Partly we face the problem of his uniqueness as someone who was both fully human and fully God. But efforts to account for Jesus’ own […]

As the mission of God unfolds in the Old Testament, he enters into covenant relationship with key partners is mission. In each of these covenant relationships there are both missional and formational components, and they are closely related.
Abraham
God chose to be a central player in his unfolding strategy for redeeming the world. In Genesis 12:1-3 […]

On Wednesday of this week I’ll be offering a workshop at the Renovaré conference in San Antonio. The theme of this conference is: The Jesus Way: Recovering the Lost Content of Discipleship. Conference headliners include Eugene Peterson, Max Lucado, Emilie Griffin, John Ortberg, Dallas Willard, and Richard Foster. I’m honored to be included on the […]

One of the things I love about Laity Lodge is getting to hear great music in a wide variety of genres. A week ago we were treated to a world-class string trio composed of Stephen Clapp (violinist and former dean at Julliard), Sean Jackson (Juillard grad in piano and organ), and Josef Luptak (cellist from […]

Clap and Shout!
READ Psalm 47:1-9
Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
Shout to God with joyful praise!
Psalm 47:1
In yesterday’s reflection, I mentioned that I am not wired for stillness, but rather for activity and worry. So I need the invitation of Psalm 46:10 to challenge me to be still and know that God is God.
Well, in truth, […]

You may have noticed that I am now including my tweets (Twitter posts) on this website. In the amazing world of computer automation, all I need to do is to create a tweet in my Twitter account, and it magically appears on my website.
I have been flirting with Twitter, but am still unconvinced of its […]

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) could use some good news. No, I don’t mean the Good News, though we could always stand to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ once again. I’m speaking more of specific, tangible good news that would tell those of us who are faithful Presbyterians that our denomination is on the right […]

Trustworthy Leadership
READ Exodus 14:15-31
When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.
Exodus 14:31
Exodus 14 describes the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites as the Lord guided them through […]

The Lord Will Fight for You
READ Exodus 14:1-14
“The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Exodus 14:14
As the Israelites left Egypt, they were pursued by the Egyptians. Fearful of the awesome power of Pharaoh’s army, the people of Israel were gripped with fear. They complained to Moses that they would rather be slaves […]

Defending Truth, Humility, and Justice
READ Psalm 45:1-17
In your majesty, ride out to victory,
defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!
Psalm 45:4
When I was a boy, I loved watching the Adventures of Superman on our black-and-white Motorola television set. How I longed to be just like that “strange visitor from another planet” who […]« Previous Entries